Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the long-awaited modern single-player Star Wars game that fans have been anticipating for several years. Despite past troubles and tribulations experienced in previous EA Star Wars games, this title seems to have come out as a well-made, well-liked, and relatively controversy-free success. This Metroid-Vania style action-adventure game takes combat cues from Dark Souls and Sekiro, making it one of the long list of great Souls-like games to come out in recent memory.
One of the cues that Jedi Fallen Order takes from the Souls-like genre is its intense combat and boss battles. The Ninth Sister Inquisitor is one of these challenging boss battles. This fight is not the most challenging in the game, and for those who are used to the sometimes crushing difficulty of Dark Souls games, it may not be too tough to complete after a few tries.
The Ninth Sister is usually considered the first truly challenging boss in the game, much as the Tomb of Eilram is the first challenging puzzle. She will likely provide something of a stumbling block for many players.
Luckily, a few simple tips and tricks can make this fight a lot more manageable. In general, good practice Fallen Order pro-tips will serve players well, but there are some ins and outs to this boss that can make the fight go a lot more smoothly.
The Fight
This fight should have a familiar format for those who have played similar games to Fallen Order. The Ninth Sister Inquisitor has two primary phases: one in which she uses a single-bladed lightsaber, and a second in which she switches to a double-bladed weapon.
The Ninth Sister also has a few predictable moves that are good to know about before rushing in. She can force-pull the player towards her in order to strike at them with her lightsaber, and will occasionally charge the player directly. In her second phase, when she uses the double-bladed lightsaber, she will charge twice in quick succession. Once she is using the double-bladed weapon, she will also throw her lightsaber at the player in a quick, hard to read motion. If the player moves far away and tries to keep a distance for too long, the Ninth Sister will slam the ground and create a shock wave.
The Strategy
The primary strategy for this fight is simply to use a single-bladed lightsaber. while a double-bladed lightsaber is extremely effective in the open world for dealing with large numbers of enemies while exploring Fallen Order's large world, a single blade is far preferable when fighting a lone opponent.
This is because the single-bladed lightsaber is more precise, offering focused, deliberate attacks. It is a more attack-oriented weapon, allowing the player to dish out larger amounts of damage in the brief windows that a boss provides an opening. The double-bladed weapons are great for defensive play while searching for Star Wars Easter-eggs and reacting to small-fry enemies, but they are too sloppy for a fight that requires a lot of focus. The single-bladed weapon has the added benefit of wearing down much more of a boss's stamina, a non-issue when facing weaker enemies.
Because it is so good for exploration, though, it is beneficial to get the double-bladed lightsaber early.
It is wise to be patient and wait for the boss to create openings, rather than trying to dictate the pace of the battle. Most of the attacks listed above provide some opportunity to follow up with a counter-attack if they are read quickly and responded to in the correct fashion.
When the Ninth Sister uses her force-pull, the player must roll backwards and away from her to avoid her followup strike. Her direct charge is the primary attack that opens up an opportunity to deal damage. When she charges, the player can slow her down with the force and roll to the side. This should provide an opening behind her to deal out a couple of quick strikes. As in Dark Souls, it is important not to get greedy. Players should get in their hits and then retreat to safety to avoid receiving some retaliatory lumps. Once she enters her second form with two blades, she will double up on her charges as well. The player should be prepared to avoid a second charge before going in for their quick hits.
The lightsaber throw can be avoided by reacting quickly, so it is important to keep an eye on her and be ready for it. Her ground-slam attack is meant to punish the player for getting too far away, but sometimes it is necessary to make some space and catch a quick breath. If this happens, breaking lock-on allows the player to do a double-jump in response to the shockwave, rather than a single flip. this makes the attack much easier to avoid.
Once the fight is over, players will be well on their way to experiencing Fallen Order's dramatic ending first-hand.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.